1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a contact for a connector assembly and, in particular, to a plug connector equipped with such a contact.
2. Description of the Related Art
In vehicle manufacturing, for example, it is often necessary to interconnect electrical lines. For example, there is a need to interconnect cables or to connect cables to electrical devices. To this end, plug connectors are often used where one or a plurality of contact chambers are provided in a connector housing. A contact connected to an electrical line is placed in each of the contact chambers and latched therein. The contact is designed to produce an electrically conductive connection with a correspondingly designed mating contact of a mating connector, respectively of a socket, upon intermating of the plug connector with the mating connector, respectively the socket.
In the manufacture of such plug connectors, the contacts, onto whose rear end, the corresponding cables are crimped, are inserted into the individual contact chambers. To prevent the contacts from slipping out of the contact chambers, for example, in response to a tensile force on the cables, the contacts are mostly latched into the contact chambers by form-fitting engagement therewith. For this purpose, in one widely used contact design, an outwardly projecting and inwardly deflectable primary lance is provided on the housing of the contact. This primary lance projects obliquely outwardly over the housing, counter to the plug-in direction of the contact into the contact chamber. Upon insertion of the contact into the contact chamber, the primary lance is first inwardly resiliently deformed, enabling it to subsequently snap into place in a recess in the contact chamber upon reaching the target position thereof, in order to thereby latch the contact into the contact chamber.
The published German Patent Application document DE 10 2009 054 705 A1 describes a conventional electrical contact for plug-in connections that is provided with a projecting primary lance.
Stringent mechanical demands are placed on plug connectors and the contacts used therein, particularly for a use in motor vehicles. On the one hand, the process of latching the contacts into the contact chambers of the plug connector should be as stable as possible to ensure that the contacts do not pull out, for example, in response to a tensile force on the cables crimped thereon. To this end, the primary lance should preferably be as flexurally stiff as possible. On the other hand, to insert the contacts into the contact chambers, the primary lance should be readily resiliently inwardly deflectable and subsequently returnable to the initial position thereof to allow a contact to be readily and reliably latched into a contact chamber.
Particularly in the case of miniaturized contacts, where it is necessary to meet stringent mechanical demands in spite of a small size and small material thicknesses, it can be difficult to resolve these conflicting demands, since flexurally stiff primary lances tend to plastically deform in response to a deformation that occurs during an insertion process, for example.